Writing to Teen in Jail

Last night, an old friend of Ted's who he hasn't seen in a very long time - "T" - knocked on my door to give my husband a letter for Ted. I had conked out at 7:30 p.m. after riding six hours and sitting for six more hours to visit Ted. I was sorry to miss seeing "T". I know Ted will love getting his letter.

While knocking on my door is one way to get a letter to Ted, there's a much simpler way! On the home page of Teen in Jail, Ted's current address is always displayed (right under the site counter). Currently Ted is at the following address:

Braden, Theodore, DC #131948
Lancaster C.I.
3449 SW State Road 26
Trenton, FL 32693-5641

I update that address every time Ted is transferred. If Ted is moved before he receives a letter, the prison will forward it to his new location (although this might take awhile).

For those that hate to hand-write letters and don't have a printer, you can always send an email to teeninjail@yahoo.com. (I usually have to weed through all the notifications that he won 10 million dollars. Boy, wouldn't that be nice?) Sometimes I forget to check that email address, but when I do, I print out the emails and send them to Ted.

You can call him "Ted" (although in prison, they just yell "BRADEN!!!") If you include a return address, he will write you back. (And "T", you can send me your return address to that email!)

Ted can receive greeting cards, but the envelopes must be white or yellow. Don't ask me why they can't be different colors - I don't know. I once sent a Halloween card with an ORANGE envelope (the horror!) and it was returned to me. Another Halloween card had PLASTIC EYEBALLS which apparently is a BIG no-no! So, make sure any cards don't have plastic pieces, glued-on decorations and most terrible of all - no singing cards!

Ted can also receive up to five photos per letter (standard 3X5's or 4X6's). Use discretion when sending pictures, though. No bikinis, for instance, or anything relating to gangs. Make sure you put your return address on the envelope.

Ted loves getting letters. Since he's been in prison, he has received letters from me, his father, his step-father, and just recently - his former girlfriend and two complete strangers. His disabled grandmother, who is completely paralyzed except for one hand, even managed to write him a letter. It completely makes his day to get mail. Strangely enough, the rest of his relatives and friends have not written him.